Understanding of Molecular Phenomena on Planar and Nanosized GaP Surfaces Under Different Environmental Conditions

化学系的环境化学科学（ECS）项目将支持普渡大学Albena Ivanisevic教授的研究项目。Ivanisevic教授和她的学生将开发新的表面功能化方法，形成肽包被，使GaP表面钝化，以防止有毒Ga在生物系统中的释放，测试肽包被的GaP薄膜、纳米颗粒和纳米线在生理相关条件下的长期稳定性，并了解在不同环境条件下控制其生存或恶化的分子现象。该研究的具体目的是：i)探索表面功能化方案，使肽具有高覆盖率和可重复性的固定在GaP上，同时防止半导体表面的氧化物重组；ii)量化在不同环境条件下无机物质的释放量，并使用分析工具了解与表面降解相关的过程；iii)使用耗散石英晶体微天平（QCM-D）和临床相关样品，将不同环境条件下的稳定性与生物识别特性联系起来。肽涂层对GaP表面的有效钝化将使GaP材料在生物系统中使用的生物传感平台中的应用成为可能。它还将减轻与电子工业中广泛使用GaP和其他III-V半导体材料有关的毒性问题。该项目将为学生提供良好的教育机会，包括一些来自代表性不足的群体，希望在纳米材料毒性的跨学科研究领域工作。

The Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS) program of the Division of Chemistry will support the research program of Prof. Albena Ivanisevic of Purdue University. Prof. Ivanisevic and her students will develop novel surface functionalization methods to form peptide coatings that passivate GaP surfaces in order to prevent the release of toxic Ga in biological systems, test the long term stability of peptide-coated GaP films, nanoparticles and nanowires in physiologically relevant conditions, and understand the molecular phenomena that govern their survival or deterioration under different environmental conditions. The specific aims of the study are: i) Explore surface functionalization schemes that result in the immobilization of peptides on GaP with high coverage and reproducibility while preventing the reformation of oxide on the semiconductor surface; ii) Quantify the amount of inorganic material released under different environmental conditions and use analytical tools to understand the processes associated with surface degradation; iii) Correlate stability under different environmental conditions with bio-recognition properties using Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) and clinically relevant samples.Effective passivation of GaP surafces by peptide coatings will enable the application of GaP materials in biosensing platforms used in biological systems. It will also alleviate toxicity concerns associated with the wide spread use of GaP and other III-V semiconductor materials in the electronics industry. The project will provide excellent educational opportunities for students, including some from under represented groups, desiring to work at the interdiciplinary research area of nanomaterials toxicity.